Wiscnews.com reports that Wisconsin shelters are seeing a marked increase in unaltered purebred dogs. Many dogs have been dumped at the end of rural driveways or thrown over shelter walls in the middle of the night.

The purported cause of the uptick is the eminent enactment of a puppy mill law in the state. The law authorizes the state to license breeders who sell more than 25 dogs from three litters in any year. The state will be able to enforce certain radical standards upon licensed breeders, including:

adequate food and water
health and veterinary care
exercise
grouping and separation
behavior and socialization

Rebellious disreputable breeders evidently have been dumping stock in order to get under the 25 dog limit — and proving that if the law’s intent was to reduce the impact of sociopaths upon the dog world then it is already working.

A representative from a Wisconsin humane society states that, because they are purebred and free, the dumped animals generally are easy to place. And a breeder from Wisconsin provided some quotes that, to me, are completely irresistible.

“I know there’s been an awful lot of what we call dumping’ going on,” said Jane Jones, owner of Grey Oaks Kennel. “And that’s just pulling along the side of the road and dumping them off, or throwing them over the wall at the local humane society.”

She knows of a handful of breeders who have dumped as much as three-quarters of their dogs, she said. Some have given away dogs for free or at reduced prices. Others, Jones said, have shot the dogs they didn’t want.

Jones said she has applied for a state license, and hasn’t dumped any dogs. But she’s not happy about the new law.

“I just don’t like the [guv’mint] coming in and trying to regulate stuff when they know nothing,” Jones said. “They should have studied this stuff and talked to a lot more breeders before they passed this.”

Thank you, Wisconsin, for making California look so good.